A plague on all parties as the madcap tram plan lurches on

The people of Canberra do not want $3 billion (yes, many claim it will head towards that) spent on this lunacy, and a decade of traffic chaos. The cost is not the cash, it is the lost opportunity to create a world-leading public transport network of renewably powered smart vehicles (guided trackless trams, trambuses ... you name it, they exist now), free for all of to use.

Sometimes we do need to change course, for all sorts of reasons. We can back away from this shambles and create something visionary, but it will take some MLAs to finally show good sense, and many to show guts.

Sandy Paine (Letters, February 3) is the latest correspondent to express their despair at the unjustifiable light-rail-to-Woden project of the Barr government.

The Chief Minister is disingenuous when he argues that, by winning the last election, he received voters' approval to proceed with stages 2a and 2b. The election was not a referendum on light rail - voters consider a range of issues before casting their vote.

I wrote to the ACT government in May 2020 expressing my reservations about the project and asking whether an analysis of the comparative costs of various options for achieving the objective of substantially improving city-to-Woden public transport could be made public. Minister Chris Steel's reply was verbose bureaucratic tripe, much of it irrelevant to the issue.

Various commentators have identified exorbitant costs of the infrastructure, inflexibility of the light-rail system, slower service, massive disruption to traffic flow for a lengthy period - as some of the grounds for reconsidering this project. Andrew Barr's continuing disregard for people's well-founded concerns is damning.

Rather than being apathetic, I suspect Canberrans are despairing of ever being listened to. Regrettably, the Liberal opposition has not been vocal about demanding costing details and a reconsideration of the project's viability. Perhaps the return of Jeremy Hanson can change this approach.

Six weeks ago I was riding along the footpath next to Daramalan College on Cowper Street in Dickson. A large tree from inside the grounds was felled by a freak wind. It knocked down the power lines along with several poles.

I understand that Daramalan had sought permission to remove several potentially problem trees, but their requests had been denied by the ACT government.

I later noticed that some street trees on the adjacent nature strip were encircling and touching those same power lines. I reported this to Evo Energy, who rang me a couple of weeks ago to say they were about to lop the trees. However, the job has still not been done and many branches remain in contact with the wires.

I again request that these trees be cut back as soon as possible. They put at risk the safety not only of the schoolchildren who congregate on that footpath during school terms, but also the many other pedestrians, cyclists and motorists who travel past.

Our local authorities need to re-examine policies on street trees and those on household blocks, in light of rapidly changing weather patterns.

Jamie Hyams (Letters, February 3) gives an interesting reasoning as to why the ethnic cleaning of Jews during the Holocaust deserves special acknowledgment, by the Australian government contributing to the funding of a Holocaust museum in Canberra.

Would such a museum include recognition of the cleansing of other groups in Germany at the time who did not conform to the Nazi idea of a superior Aryan race, such as homosexuals, gypsies and the disabled?

Any genocide museum built with public funds should include all victims of genocide worldwide, regardless of the reason or implementation behind that genocide, rather than just one group in our society.

After all, aren't they all victims?

The agressive tone of the opinion piece ("Israel 'apartheid' claims hurt Amnesty's moral standing", February 4) by Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, is entirely predictable. He claims Israel does not have discriminatory policies, and that Palestinians have just as many rights as Jewish people. As most people know, and as the Amnesty research shows, this is simply untrue.

His biased arguments are old, tired and wrong. Amnesty International has 10 million members and supporters worldwide and stands for equality, freedom and justice. The report sets out to further inform on the tragedy of the Palestinian situation. Leibler's claim that "obsessive anti-Israel idealogy" is "placed above truth" is absurd. Line and verse, the report describes the deprivation and cruelty which Palestinians in their homeland or in the diaspora continue to endure, having been dispossessed of their homes and land and driven away.

The report concludes that the system of treatment of Palestinians in Israel amounts to apartheid, as defined in the Rome Statute and Apartheid Convention. What more proof does one need?

It was wonderful to see The Canberra Times share Noura Mansou's story as a Palestinian citizen of Israel regarding Amnesty International's finding that Israel was in breach of the crime of apartheid, for the treatment of Palestinians both in Israel and occupied Palestine. It is rare to hear Palestinian voices in this conflict.

How many Australians even know of the millions of Palestinians who live under Israeli military law, whilst their neighbours live under Israeli civilian law? A reality for the past 54 years. Regardless of what you call it, the status quo is unjust, untenable and must end.

Some current protesters in Canberra doubtless have sincere concerns or aspirations. Many others are involved simply to gain publicity for themselves or their dodgy projects. Thank you Canberra Times for plastering their faces on and in your recent issues. They couldn't buy this sort of publicity. Pious editorials bewailing the risks to our democracy do not cut the mustard, when even flag-bearing proud boys get a guernsey. Editorial responsibility, please.

Such good news in Saturday's CT: the original doors of Old Parliament House can be restored. Yes, some amazing people have walked through those doors including notable Aboriginal people and politicians. I was newspaper librarian for News Ltd and saw the opening of parliament when Gough became prime minister. It is a beautiful building and Aboriginal people should be proud of their Aboriginal politicians.

I would like to invite Eric Hunter (Letters, February 2) and others like him that have written in criticism of my letter any evidence of the three journalists I mentioned; Waterford, Hull and Price criticising the left side of politics.

I have not seen one article on Andrews, Pelecheck and McGowan's dictatorial leadership and failure of their states to keep out the virus like they said they would and provide a sensible plan out of their "short, sharp lockdowns". You could include our own Chief Minister Barr in there too. Seeing The Canberra Times serves the local people, why isn't there articles on the ever increasing cost of living in Canberra, the destruction of green space for ugly, heat producing unit towers and the entitled arrogance of this local Labor/Greens government?

Abroad there were countless articles blaming former US president Trump for COVID deaths in America. Yet when elected, current US President Biden states he will stop the virus and reduce deaths. There has been more deaths under Biden in 2021 even with the help of vaccines than Trump in 2020. Can't wait for the evidence of criticism of these left-wing governments in their poor handling of COVID and any other matters from your outraged readers.

Whilst an Albanese/Marles ALP government is somewhat of an unknown quantity the Australian electorate is fully aware of what a Morrison/Joyce government has delivered.

Presumably many of those seen protesting against mandatory vaccination don't have a job - this hardly being a legitimate reason for a day off. This anti-government, anti-social mindset appears quite incongruous to that when collecting their dole payments, provided by the same government to which they target their protests.

Could Jeremy Leibler's position rejecting Israel apartheid claims be summarised as " Some of my best friends are Palestinians"?

I always thought it was the Prime Minister's job to run the country. Apparently not, if the shampooing stunt ScoMo engaged in on Friday is any guide. And it begs the question, just who is running the country?

What I glean from the latest in the text-gate saga is that the PM has Barnaby's "full support". Can this get any funnier? Only if the PM has been sending himself abusive messages. I wait with bated breath.

I do not know why these people call themselves "Sovereign Nation". They certainly are not "the full quid".

I am in favour of a Holocaust memorial as long as it remembers all those who died. Half a million of my people, the Romani gypsies, were also murdered. They are very rarely remembered.

The Morrison government's zombie-like lurching from one disaster to another reminds me of a cult film from the 1950s entitled Plan 9 From Outer Space. Regarded by some as the worst film ever made, it was referred to by one critic as "justly celebrated for its staggering ineptitude." Does life imitate art?

If Scott Morrison was a football coach, this week he would have received the full support of the board.

Well done Steve Evans ("Alien invasion which offends this rational city of science", February 5). Totally agree. You forgot one thing, Steve, the government and the people this rabble demonstrates against likely pay their fortnightly pensions and benefits.

These leaks of stinging criticisms of the PM's character must stop. It worries me that while these depictions of Scott Morrison as a liar, hypocrite, and a psycho no doubt contain truths, any more could result in an avalanche of sympathy votes for him.

On Friday the news showed our Prime Minister washing the hair of some unknown young woman in a hair salon. Will the PM stop at nothing for a photo opportunity? Why didn't he wash the hair of a senior citizen - perhaps in a nursing home?